We Adventure, Not Vacation

Would love to hear your thoughts!Is legacy media still relevant when so many of us get our news from social media?Michelle Ross has lived both sides of that debate. A former FOX5 New York reporter, Michelle knows firsthand the demands of local TV news — including the financial realities of having a family while working in the industry. After having twins, she was still paying off debt from her maternity leave.Then, one night, after a long day on the job, she filmed a last-minute TikTok video. It went viral. And she made more money from that ONE video than she had from the 12-hour workday she'd just put in.But that wasn't the only thing that would change her path. When her mother's mental health took a turn, Michelle faced a major crossroads and ultimately made the decision to walk away from TV news.In this episode of Unscripted Turbulence, Michelle opens up about motherhood, family, leaving an industry she'd spent years in, and building a new career in content creation and independent journalism. We also get into the bigger question: Can legacy media reinvent itself, or is local TV news facing an uncertain future?It's raw, it's real, and it's a conversation the industry needs to have.More about Michelle: click hereVideo of Michelle's father, Baba, judging his son-in-law: click here Support the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!Trigger warning: This episode discusses pregnancy loss.What happens when the news you were so sure would be good... isn't?One year after her first visit, former WABC Channel 7 Eyewitness News reporter Janice Yu returns to Unscripted Turbulence. She was training for the New York City Marathon when she found out she was pregnant. Then came a first ultrasound that went wrong, a doctor who changed everything by sharing her own loss, and a grief she never saw coming.Janice opens up about her miscarriage, why she decided to share it publicly, and why so few women talk about something this common.Then she flips the script and becomes the host. She asks me about life one year after leaving TV news... and I reveal a comment from a live truck that I have never shared publicly. Until now.This one is for anyone who has felt alone in their grief, or judged for the life they're living.This conversation shares personal experience only, not medical advice.If this one hits home, please share it with someone who needs it.Support the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!We never met. But news bonded us.Johny Fernandez and I both worked at Channel 7 Eyewitness News in New York City. We knew each other through colleagues, shared the same industry, and somehow never crossed paths in person—until we sat down for this conversation.And if you've ever worked in TV news, you know what happens next: the stories start flying.We go back to where it all began, talk about the things young reporters were expected to endure, the scrappiness news teaches you, and how an industry can change right underneath you.But this conversation isn't just about news.Johny gets honest about the warning signs he ignored, what therapy helped him uncover, and why he believes therapy heals.It's a conversation about careers, survival, growth, and finally taking a look at what's underneath the thing that's hurting.And yes… there's plenty of inside baseball for my fellow newsies.Support the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!Have you ever wondered what it was really like to work at MTV and VH1 back when music still ran the channel?Brian Ives did it. Starting in the 90s, he built a career in the music side of the entertainment industry. In this episode he takes us through the whole ride, all the way to 2023.  Then in 2024 at 54, he made the call to walk away and go back to school to become a therapist.Brian is proof it is NEVER too late to reinvent.This one is a straight up time machine back to the 90s. If you're a music lover, or just curious what it was like inside the biggest music channels around, get ready for a nostalgic ride. The music takes me back through middle school, first love in high school, and everything in between. Hometown friends, this one's going to hit the feels.Like TV news did to me, this industry threw roadblock after roadblock at Brian, and like me, he kept pushing until one day he just couldn't. So he reinvented.If 90s culture or the pull to start over speaks to you, don't miss this one.More on Brian & music nostalgia, click HERESupport the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses a serious ongoing health crisis, childhood poverty, and past trauma.Ever love a place so much you never stopped to ask what it took to build it?Many of you know the studio I record in. Guests love the vibe. Viewers love the aesthetic. Truth is, I rent that space, and today's guest is the reason it exists: Brianna Peters, who runs Gotham Production Studios with her husband, the power couple behind every bit of magic you've seen on this show.But behind the founder is a woman still healing a little girl inside her, one who was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that nearly killed her, and one she's still searching for answers on today. She grew up in poverty. She carried trauma she kept secret for years. And she chose Unscripted Turbulence as the place to finally say it out loud.This isn't a business success story. It's about survival, and what it actually takes to keep moving through the turbulence. We go deep, but we also laugh, about growing up in the 90s watching Sex and the City and dreaming of a life in New York City. Spoiler: she made it here. It's how she got here that makes it sweeter.If you feel broken, Brianna wants you to know you are not. Stay for her message at the end.Support the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!What happens when you're building something you believe in, and suddenly start questioning EVERYTHING?That's where I am right now with this podcast. And that's why I wanted you to meet Adam Schaeuble, host of Podcasting Business School and someone who's become a beacon of hope and clarity for me.Adam is completely self-taught, no professional training, and that's his superpower. He's failed, redirected, experimented, and succeeded, then shared what he's learned so others can avoid the mistakes he made. Most recently, he started an online community to bring podcasters together to get better at this.If you're thinking about starting a podcast, growing your show, building a business, or simply breaking free from where you are right now, this conversation is for you.But this goes beyond podcasting. It's about courage. Taking risks. Refusing to quit when things get hard.When I hit those depths of despair, I remind myself: I could have stayed. Somehow, that thought always reignites the fire. I hope this conversation does the same for you.Adam's Podcasting Business School : Click HEREYour invite to Adam's Skool : Click HERESupport the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!Fifteen years of marriage... and neither of us wanted to spend it lying by a pool...well, at least for the ENTIRE time.I give a rundown of my 15-year wedding anniversary adventure with Pilot. And it was just that. An ADVENTURE. You have to listen to know where we went... or easily click below to see the places we stayed, adventured, ate, and enjoyed.Glamping, canyons, national parks, a boat, a tiny cabin, and a driverless car... if you're looking for anniversary trip ideas or a couples road trip that's more adventure than vacation, this one's for you.And a HUGE shout-out to all my new friends I met along the way...WELCOME ABOARD!ADVENTURE RUNDOWNLodgingGlamping at Lake Powell (Under Canvas) Tiny Cabin in Escalante, Utah (Ofland)Las Vegas (ARIA)ActivitiesLower Antelope Canyon TourLake Powell Boat RentalUTV TourBest Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab, UtahShaka Guide Audio Driving ToursBryce Canyon National ParkThe Neon MuseumSphere Las VegasZoox Driverless Car, Las VegasFoodThat "1970s" Diner...is actually called PeppermillShowdownsHell's Backbone Grill, Boulder, UtahMUST sip the Caperberry Vodka Martini at Scarpetta, The Cosmopolitan Las VegasSupport the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!I'm still away...but likely hitting a bit of turbulence, as I'm flying with Pilot, both as passengers, returning from our 15-year wedding anniversary adventure. Have you ever thought about what it's like sitting next to a pilot on an airplane? I live it everyday (basically), and share what happens when Pilot isn't in control. I'm also still collecting away messages, so drop yours HERE for a proper shoutout on next week's episode! And if you have a question for Pilot about flying - fire away!Support the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!I'm on assignment this week... to celebrate my 15-year wedding anniversary! It's important to unplug, rest, and realign so I can show up better for myself, my loved ones, and all of you. I couldn't step away without saying something on Unscripted Turbulence, so enjoy this shorter episode. Because I'm not one to leave a party without a hug and making plans for the next gathering.When I was in news, I would schedule this away message in my email, and I'm doing it here as well: Your message is important... and so is my time off. I will respond to you when my adventure is over. Leave a message HERE, don't forget your name, and I will give you a shout-out in my return episode!Support the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube 

Would love to hear your thoughts!CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses 9/11, sudden loss, and suicide.September 11, 2026 marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and this is one of the heaviest conversations I've had on Unscripted Turbulence.My guest, Anthoula Katsimatides, lost her older brother John, who was working in the North Tower of the World Trade Center that day. But to understand Anthoula's story, we have to go back further. Two years before 9/11, she lost her youngest brother to suicide.Anthoula takes us inside what happens to a family after a suicide loss: the questions, the guilt, the endless WHYs, and how grief caused her to lose pieces of herself along the way. We also talk about her Greek upbringing (a culture I know well since marrying into it), the help she finally reached out for, the help she learned to accept, and how she slowly began rebuilding her life.Then came September 11.Today, Anthoula serves on the Board of Trustees for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, helping preserve the memory of those killed that day, including John, and carrying forward the advice she was given before he died: LIVE YOUR LIFE IN COLOR.After unimaginable loss, Anthoula did.Fair warning: this episode is heavy. But it comes with a promise too. You are never alone. Ask for help. Accept it. It does get better, and life becomes colorful again.More on Anthoula, CLICK HEREIf you or someone you know is struggling, Anthoula wants you to have access to what helped her: CLICK HEREIf you're remembering someone you lost on 9/11, she's keeping you in her prayers, and she encourages you to visit if you haven't yet: CLICK HEREIf you are in crisis, call or text 988.Support the showNew Episodes Take Off Wednesdays!Everything in one place: TheRaeganMedgie.comWatch the video version: YouTube